A Summer Day

In the summer day when the sky opens wide and the clouds sail on, I fall asleep among the flowers, under the shade of the birch tree, with the soft warmth all around me. My dreams float like dandelion seeds carried on the breeze, yet I listen to the wind sings the melodies of the gathering clouds. The air is sweet with honey, for each flower drinks and a butterfly rests on my shoulder. I hear the unentering quiet, and awaken to find that the summer day has wrapped me in its arms, with nothing needing to be explained, as the rain comes softly falling.

• Mary Oliver